Election may be years off: senator

The first democratic elections in Iraq may not be held for five years, according to a senior Republican lawmaker in the United States.

Senator Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Meet the Press in the US yesterday that "going to elections prematurely" would be disastrous for Iraq.

His comments came as the retired American general who will be the interim ruler of Iraq promised to restore the country to its former glory as a centre of civilisation and democratic government.

"We'll take you back to where you have been before: the best," Lieutenant-General Jay Garner said as he arrived in Baghdad to take charge of the new administration. "The burden's being lifted off your shoulders. What we need to do from this day forward is to give birth to a new system in Iraq."

But General Garner indicated it could be months before essential services were restored throughout Iraq and would not say how long his administration would remain in power. ");document.write("

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In the US, Senator Lugar said that after recent demonstrations against the US presence in Iraq, the Bush Administration should not take the view that "somehow or other, the Iraqis have spoken and we should move out".

He said the US should stay "until we know that the weapons-of-mass-destruction situation is under control, as well as the integrity of the borders... and, in fact, until there is a democratic situation."

Asked how long it might be before democracy is established in Iraq, Senator Lugar said: "I think at least we ought to be thinking of a period of five years."

One of Iraq's emerging new leaders, Ahmad Chalabi, said yesterday that he expected the US to stay in Iraq for two years.

Mr Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress, told ABC television's This Week program that the US should stay until Iraq holds elections, a process he predicted would take two years.

In Baghdad, General Garner said he could not confirm his earlier prediction that the interim administration's job would be completed within three months. "We'll be here as long as it takes but will leave fairly rapidly," he said.

General Garner began a three-day tour of the capital and cities in northern Iraq to assess the extent of the rebuilding task.

The new administration has scheduled what General Garner describes as a "town hall meeting" in Baghdad on Thursday to hear the community's views on the priorities for restoring services.

"What I see as the purpose of our organisation is to create for you an environment in which you can make the changes you want to make to this country," he said.

This would lead to the creation of "a government that reflects the free will of the people".

In other developments:

• Mr Chalabi told BBC radio that Saddam Hussein was still in Iraq. "Yes, he is in Iraq. Yes, he is moving around," Mr Chalabi said.

• The Iraqi National Congress announced that Saddam Hussein's son-in-law Jamal Mustafa Sultan al-Tikriti had returned to Iraq from Syria to surrender and would be handed to US forces.

• Syrian President Bashar Assad told US congressman that Syria would not offer asylum to Iraqi leaders who tried to flee across the border.